Quick Report: Helping My Dad With His Phone

No project for myself this week. I’ve had some sleeping issues earlier this week and constipation at the end of it, I ended up missing out on a movie I was hoping to go through and had been promoting on the other site. I did however help my dad set up his new cell phone. Unlike myself he really can’t handle smartphones like the ones above. (It was in my site’s media library.) He uses a flip phone and while there are times I miss flip phones he isn’t very good with a smartphone. So this afternoon, what would have been project time was set on that.

Hopefully next week I’ll have a real project to discuss because I’ll be doing another book report in a couple or few weeks. That will at least give me a chance to something boring to report in but needs getting done.

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Quick Report: A Number Of Projects

This week instead of a big project I did a bunch of smaller projects that needed to be done. It’s a short list but I got up late yesterday.

• The toilet needed cleaning. Exciting, isn’t it?
• Continuing from a previous project I went through the papers and stuff from that shelf under the art desk. Some things were thrown out and some things shredded, and a few things I kept and put away, like some reading material and manuals. I then did the same with a few holders at my regular desk. It always hurts when I toss out old birthday and get well cards. They were given out of love and there are days I can use that kind of reminder, but otherwise they’re just taking up space. Unless it was hand made it’s better to send them onward, and I’m only giving that cavate because I’m a creative person and something not mass-produced means even more than something bought in the store and signed. Sentiment can only go so far when you need to de-clutter.
• Finally I updated my financial records because I let it slip…again.

So that’s all I did this week, small but needed projects.

Comic Report: Final Faction #1

Recently we took a look at Churro, the flying chihuahua with guns from the Final Faction toyline. In case you missed it, Final Faction is a toyline exclusive to Dollar Tree stores in the US and Poundland in the UK. Inspired by the 1980s version of G.I. Joe and similar action figures, the line’s gimmick is a series of accessory packs used by the heroic Final Faction and the evil invading alien Karn for control of Earth’s resources. Churro is a chihuahua with a canine mech suit, the FD-O, that you can attach various weapons to, but the human and alien figures have those as well. There are also a set of vehicles and robots for the heroes while the villains’ troop builders come in the form of synthoid robots.

On my last shopping trip I went to see if there were any more accessory packs that might work for the FD-O in case I wanted to alter Churro’s load out now and then for display, since it’s the only thing in the line that interest me. I saw some that I want to look into online to make sure they’re compatible (I saw one that was actually reviewed on the FD-O and I may end up getting it, giving it VTOL engine wings and machine guns) but what surprised me was a comic book based on the toyline. I mean, that’s nothing new. Over at my other site I review comics on the daily, sometimes twice a day, and between regular and pack-in minicomics I’m certainly used to it. I just wasn’t expecting it for the $1.50 toyline. So I figured I’d check out the first issue at least and see if it’s any good. Plus it’s the origin so we get to see how best doggy got his robot. And I have a review format that I use on my other website for the deeper reviews (you’ve seen it here during filler posts), but there will be spoilers for this comic. I mean, it’s for your kids. Were you going to read it? If you’re like me, probably.

I wonder what the first faction was?

Final Faction #1

Dollar Tree (2022)

“First Impact”

WRITER: Toby Osborne

ARTIST: Chris Rarrinan

INK ASSIST: Luis Rivera

COLORIST: Mimi Simon

LETTERERS: John Heebink & Mike Manley

SPOOF AD PAGE ARTIST: Pete McDonnell

Book Report: The Unofficial Guide To Transformers (1980s-1990s)

In this time of the internet I can easily go to a website like TFU.info and look up pictures of Transformers figures, with a list of all accessories, remolds, repaints, redecos, all official alternate modes, and name reuses. Back in 1999 this was not the case. The internet was just getting started in the public sector, storage and bandwidth were smaller, and the web site design software was still rather privative compared to today.

So Transformers fan J.E. Alvarez got together with some fellow collectors to create The Unofficial Guide to Transformers: 1980s Through 1990s, a collection of photos and trivia published by Schiffer Publishing. Alvarez had previously worked with them on a similar book on action figures. The book goes through the history of this toyline that managed to stick with adults as well as find a home with the new children that took their place. During the previous project I stumbled upon it and thought this might be a good book to review.